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Unfortunately for me I lost out on the chance to take part in this thread and qualify to win a free copy of FC5 partly due to delays in a code issue in FC4. See my query on PIC16F88 ADC errors. But I managed to modify the code and have finally managed to launch the product onto the market, but 6 months later. It is a HIFI DAC (digital to analogue converter) that is software and hardware controlled. The product itself is known as the Beresford Bushmaster DAC. A Google search should bring up my website address and product comments in various forums around the world. The software code was written in FC4, and the functions of interest are:1. Battery health monitor. The DAC is normally powered via a 12V DC mains connected power supply. It can however also be used with a rechargeable battery. The state of the battery health is monitored via a FC routine and when the battery level approaches 11V a LED starts to blink. This warns the user that the battery needs recharging.2. AUTO/MANUAL input select. I asked in the Fotias audio preamp thread if such a feature would be of any use for that preamp but after receiving no response I went ahead with developing a routine that ended up in my DAC. The code polls the inputs one by one and upon detection of a valid audio signal it stops searching the other inputs and starts passing the detected and validated audio. When that audio is removed, the DAC reverts back to auto audio search.3. AUTO LED dimming. This function switches off the LEDS after a few seconds once the DAC has detected an input signal and starts to play. It will also switch off after a few seconds when in AUTO mode but will switch on again for a few seconds and indicate which input has a signal present.

I am working on some code enhancements such as LED brightness adjust and input channel override. The latter is aimed at the likes of SONOS and SKY boxes which hug the inputs with a valid audio command even if they are switched off. This command fools the AUTO function, so a bypass of some sort has become a requirement. The LED brightness adjust only works without any sign of blinking when I use an oscillator above 12MHz. But due to time constraints I have not yet added it to the product that was launched.

I also want to use I2C for some software functions, so I am building a development board to help me with that. The reason I find myself having to build my own development board is because the DAC chip runs off 3.3V, but the FC development boards work off 5V. There is no voltage level shift board in the Matrix range as yet so I can't use any of them to communicate between the DAC chips and the MATRIX boards directly. I wish that Matrix did have at least one board that could be used for I2C and SPI development and work off 3.3V or 5V. I did find such a board on eBay that is made by BYVAC. It has proven to be extremely useful to me so far.